Enclosure



May 2, 1944.

| E. LEVI ENCLOSURE Filed Sept. 8', 1943 4 INVENTOR. Leslie. E.Lev1'.

I ATTORNEY Patented May 2, 1944 U N l T E D 1S FTEENT O F F] C EENCLOSURE p l a i September 8, 1943, #Serial No. 501,540

3 Claims.

This invention. relates to enclosures, and more particularly tostructures of that character for use as a play pen for small children.

Play pens as heretofore constructed have been generally of either one oftwo types, namely, rigid or folding. While the rigid type has itsadvantages, the permanent bulkiness constitutes such an outstandingdisadvantage that it is not particularly popular with users, and thefolding type is in far greater demand and use. However, the foldingtypes have the serious fault of hinged rails between the hinged ends ofwhich a child may get seriously pinched.

An object of the present invention'is to provide a collapsible play penwhich avoids joints in I which a childs fingers can be pinched.

A further object is to provide an improved collapsible play pen therails of which are continuous or uninterrupted from end to end or cornerto corner.

More specifically, an object of the invention is to obtain a secureinterlocking at the releasable joints.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide interlocking cornerjoints which may be released by appropriate manipulation, but which willnot be subject to release by a small child such as would be using theplay pen. 7

Still another object of the invention is t9 pro.- vide a play pen whichmay be constructed entirely of wood and requires no metal parts.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the descriptionprogresses, both by direct .recitae tion thereof and by implication fromthe context.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, in which like numerals ofreference indicate similar parts throughout the several views;

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a play pen set up for use, and showsthe preferred embodiment of my invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a corner part of the play pen andshowing the rails separated for illustrating the interlocking rails andcorner post; and

Figure 3 is an elevation next the corner of the play pen but with partsbroken away for condensing the View Without unduly reducing the scale ofdrawing.

In the specific embodiment of the invention illustrated in said drawing,a play pen is shown which is substantially square, having four sides ofapproximately equal size, and which, for convenience in description,will be arbitrarily designated back, front, right and left sides asoccasion requires. To further avoid confusion in terms, each of saidfour sides will be referred to as a section. Opposite sections arealike. but adjacent sections have differences which will be more fullyexplained hereinafter. Thus the front and back are interchangeable asare also the two sides, but the sides cannot be substituted for eitherthe front or back.

Since front and back sections of the play pen are alike, description ofone will sufiice for both, and it will be observed that each providestop and bottom rails ill and II respectively which are parallel andspaced the desired height of the pen. Intermediate the ends of theserails are upright balusters l2 or other means rendering the areaimpassable to a small child. As shown, the balusters l2 areperpendicular to the rails and evenly spaced and parallel to each other.The rails and balusters are of wood, with the ends of the balustersinserted in sockets l3 in the rails, said so kets preferably havingdepth less than the thickness of said rails so the ends of the balustersare not exposed. The balusters are permanently secured in place in thesockets of the rails, as by use of glue or other appropriate means.

At each end of each top and bottom rail of said front and back sections,the same is stepped back, that is to say, half of the rail is cut-awayat the upper face of the top rail and at thelower face of the bottomrail providing thereby a tenon tongue M at each end of each said rail.In the particular illustration and with regard to the arbitrarydesignation of the sections as expla ned above, the tenon tongues i l ofthe top rail are next the under surface thereof whereas the tenontongues of the bottom rail are next the upper surface thereof. Thelengths of these tongues and cut-outs are equal to the width of the topand bottom rails of the side sections so the outer ends of the tongueswill be flush with the outer side faces of the respective rails of theside sections.

As the side sections have been indicated as being alike, description ofone will suflice for both, and it will be observed that each provides a.top rail 1 5 and a bottom rail Hi parallel thereto, connected at evenlyspaced intervals, as above described for the front and back sections, byupright balusters l2 similarly secured in sockets I3 in the rails. Theserails and balusters are likewise of wood and of appropriate length sothe height of the side sections agrees with that of the front and backsections.

structure. Preferably all rails have equal thickness and all tenontongues and cut-outs are of equal size so either side rail may beapplied ateither end of the front and back section and with the sectionseither side up, and similarly the front and back sections areinterchangeable and reversible. The tongue of the side rail fills thecutout of the front or back section with which associated and similarlythertongues of the front and back sections fit the cut-out of the sidesections, forming in eachinstance a right-angle tenon joint. Due to thecut-out being made for forming the tenon tongue, a shoulder I8 isthereby provided which will engage the inner side face of the tenontongue applied in the cut-out, andthus insure the several sections beingset up as.a substantial rectangle or square as shown;

It is to be particularly observed that since the tenon tongue of the toprail of the side baluster may pass fully through the alined holes of alltenons and tenon tongues at the corner where used. Said corner balustersand said holes are preferably square in cross-section and the balustersmade to fit snugly in said holes sothat when inserted therein will notbe likely to be displaced by the child using the pen and so as to assistin insuring the rectangular assembly of the several sections.

In use, an adult may readily assemble one section with another byoverlapping the appropriate tenon tongues and then inserting the cornerbaluster downwardly as far as it will go section overlies the tenontongue of the contigui spect to each other when the tenon tongues are iin'their overlapped positions forming the completed tenon joint. Eachtenon tongue'has a vertical hole 19 therethrough with the holes sosituated that for any pair of overlapped tongues the said holes will bein registration and for any particular corner the holes of the lowertenon joint will aline with the holes in the upper tenon joint.

The holes in all tongues preferably extend entirely through the tongues,having the advantage, inter alia, of enablingpthe sections to beassembled interchangeably either. side up.

Removable corner balusters 20 are provided for each corner, each suchbaluster having a knob 2| attached at the upper end thereof andconstitutes, in addition'to its decorative function, means for limitinginsertion of the baluster or downward sliding thereof, as well as ameans for readily manipulating said baluster when ap plying or removingthe same. The said corner baluster and knob' maybe constructed of woodand glued or otherwise secured together. The length of said cornerbaluster from beneath the said knob to the lower end of the baluster ispreferably equal to the full height from the under or floor-engagingface of the bottom rail to the under side of the knob corresponding tothe overall height of the sections, whereby the in the several alinedholes in the four overlapping tenon tongues at that corner. Theassembled structure at each corner prevents vertical as well as lateraldisplacement of one section with respect to its contiguous section,obtains a right-angular disposition of one section with respect to itscontiguous section, and maintains the rectangular or'square assembly ofthe several sections forming the front, back and sides of the play pen.Each section is a complete unit from end to end conducive to sturdinessand avoidance of joints which will be apt to pinch the child using thepen, and yet the pen is readily collapsed by withdrawing the cornerbalusters and easily assembled as above described.

.. I claim:

1. A play pen comprising a plurality of sections releasable at thecorners thereof, each said section having tenon tongues at the top andbottom thereof at each end, all of the tongues at each corner of the penhaving holes therein alined vertically, and a removable corner balusterinsertable in and removable from the alined holes thereat.

2. A play pen comprising a plurality of sections releasable at thecorners thereof, eachsaid section having tenon tongues at the top andbottom thereof at each end, all of the tongues at each corner of the penhaving holes therein alined vertically and all of said holes beingsquare in cross-section, and a removable baluster correspondingly squarein cross-section adapted to slidably fit said holes and insertable inand removable from the alined holes at a corner of the pen.

3. A play pen comprising a plurality of sections each having top andbottom rails and each having tenon tongues at each end, the top andbottom tenon tongues of one section overlapping one above and the otherbelow the corresponding tenon tongue of a contiguous section, saidoverlapping tenon tongue having alined holes therein; and a removablebaluster insertable in said alined holes, said baluster having a lengthenabling it to be in all of the alined holes at a corner simultaneously.

LESLIE E. LEVI.

